Migration, Immigration, and Refuge Speakers
susan ABULHAWA
Palestinian writer | human rights activist | poet | Essayist
A political commentator and contributor to broadcast news outlets, Susan speaks widely on the subjects of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the power of storytelling, particularly for marginalized communities.
annabelle tometich
Award-Winning Author | food writer | restaurant critic | journalist
The Mango Tree is a poignant and deceptively entertaining memoir of growing up as a mixed-race Filipina "nobody" in suburban Florida. Annabelle traces the roots of her upbringing from her erratic father's untimely death in a Fort Myers motel room and her fiery mother's bitter yearning for the country she left behind, to her own journey in the pursuit of belonging.
Raquel Cepeda
Activist + Author + Filmmaker + Journalist
Award-winning journalist, cultural activist, podcaster, documentary filmmaker, and author, Raquel travels widely to speak to diverse audiences about Latina identity, social justice, gentrification and inequality.
davarian baldwin
internationally recognized Black scholar, urbanist, cultural critic, and public advocate.
A foremost expert on Black social movements and African American history, he is often called upon to consult on everything from the politics of reparations to the global impact of the Harlem Renaissance. His academic and political commitments have focused on global cities and particularly the diverse and marginalized communities that struggle to maintain sustainable lives in urban locales.
gloria muñoz
Multilingual Literacy Advocate | Award-winning Poet and Author |St. Pete's first Latina poet laureate
As a Colombian-American, I speak and write because I can; I have a voice in a world where many people do not. Through my stories, I aim to illuminate the spaces between circumstance, culture, and gender for you and your community.
helon habila
Award-winning Nigerian Author | Journalist | Leading Voice in Environmental Literature | Colonialism Expert
An acclaimed Nigerian novelist, poet, and a professor of Creative Writing at George Mason University, Helon Habila speaks nationally and internationally on the subjects of writing, environmentalism, immigration, art, and the impacts of colonialism. His third novel, Oil on Water, won many prizes including the Pen/Open Book Award; Commonwealth Best Book, Africa Region; and The Orion Book Award. Habila divides his time between his native Nigeria and the USA, where he lives with his wife and three children.
wendy pearlman
Refugee and Migration Storyteller | Middle East Political Scientist | Acclaimed Author
A scholar of Middle East politics and author of the critically-acclaimed oral histories chronicling the Syrian uprising, war, and refugee crisis, Wendy asks audiences: What can refugees' stories teach us about home?
patricia engel
New York Times BestSelling and INTERNATIONALLY AWARD-WINNING NOVELIST
Born to Colombian parents and raised in New Jersey, Patricia has been awarded the John Dos Passos Prize for Literature, her books have been translated into many languages and selected as an NEA Big Read.